BRISBANE, Australia (CNN) -- Imagine a gun that fires a million rounds a minute -- enough to shred a target in a blink of an eye, or throw up a defensive wall against an incoming missile.
This is Metal Storm, a weapons system that forsakes old-style mechanics for the speed of electronics.
http://www.cnn.com/2003/BUSINESS/06/26/australia.metalstorm/index.html
Its inventor is Mike O'Dwyer, a one-time grocer in the Australian city of Brisbane. He's spent 30 years and much of his own money to develop the technology.
Now, finally, the doors are opening for him at the Pentagon, the U.S. Defense Department's headquarters.
O'Dwyer says that the real value comes from Metal Storm's electronic capability to deliver rates of fire and different types of projectiles very precisely.
The weapons range from a handgun that can only be operated by an authorized user to a grenade launcher that can fire either lethal or non-lethal ammunition.
While much of the technology is a closely guarded secret, the firing mechanism has no moving parts. Instead, it uses electronic ballistics technology. Unlike other guns, the only parts which move are the bullets.
[This message was edited by Joey C on June 28, 2003 at 02:42 AM.]
This is Metal Storm, a weapons system that forsakes old-style mechanics for the speed of electronics.
http://www.cnn.com/2003/BUSINESS/06/26/australia.metalstorm/index.html
Its inventor is Mike O'Dwyer, a one-time grocer in the Australian city of Brisbane. He's spent 30 years and much of his own money to develop the technology.
Now, finally, the doors are opening for him at the Pentagon, the U.S. Defense Department's headquarters.
O'Dwyer says that the real value comes from Metal Storm's electronic capability to deliver rates of fire and different types of projectiles very precisely.
The weapons range from a handgun that can only be operated by an authorized user to a grenade launcher that can fire either lethal or non-lethal ammunition.
While much of the technology is a closely guarded secret, the firing mechanism has no moving parts. Instead, it uses electronic ballistics technology. Unlike other guns, the only parts which move are the bullets.
[This message was edited by Joey C on June 28, 2003 at 02:42 AM.]
